Area motorists traveling some secondary roads are being hit by a one-two punch as "normal freeze-thaw cycles" and "heavy-truck traffic" are causing deteriorating road conditions, PennDOT said Thursday.

Meanwhile, the county's roads were the subject of some discussion at the Bradford County commissioners' meeting Thursday.

Bradford County Commissioner John Sullivan said trucks in the gas drilling industry are causing significant road damage in Bradford County.

"I think the gas companies are trying to act in good faith," Sullivan said. "They said they were going to take care of the roads, but they just underestimated badly" the extent of the damage their trucks would cause in Bradford County, he said.

It was Burlington Township Supervisor Ed Grant who raised the issue of the recent damage to local roads at the meeting, saying that the township is "fighting to keep Kendall Hill Road and Slater Hill Road open." Both roads have gas wells located on them, Grant added.

And he said that recently Madigan Road in Burlington Township "was totally unsafe for a period of over seven days" due to road damage.

"I think it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt or even worse," due to the road damage caused by heavy truck traffic in Bradford County, Grant said. "This is serious. I can't overemphasize this."

Road damage in the Northern Tier

It's not only Bradford County that's experiencing bad roads.

In making his announcement, Rick Mason, public information officer with PennDOT, said in a news release Thursday that "motorists traveling the secondary road system in the Northern Tier counties, especially Bradford, Tioga, Sullivan and Lycoming, are advised to be alert to deteriorating conditions along some of those roads due to the normal freeze-thaw cycles that occur at this time of year compounded by heavy-truck traffic."

Mason said many of the secondary roads are having severe potholes and rutting due to the heavy-truck traffic. Motorists who encounter these severe conditions are advised to slow down and drive with added caution, he added.

Grant, meanwhile, told the commissioners that in the late afternoon "there are areas of Route 6 that, because of the dust, are so bad you can't see more than 300 feet in front of you."

Bradford County Commissioner Doug McLinko agreed that Route 6 was a problem. McLinko said he told a representative from the state Department of Transportation earlier this week that Route 6 between Burlington and Troy was "a dirt road."

"It's not that the road is gone," McLinko said. "It's just the dirt on top of the road. And it made for slick conditions when it was wet."

While gas companies are sending out crews to repair the road damage they cause, not enough of the crews are available to address the problem, Grant said.

Sullivan also said he recently toured roads in Asylum and Terry townships that he characterized as "dangerous."

Grant told the commissioners there should be a "coalition" of representatives of townships, the county, PennDOT, the state police and gas companies, which would work together to address the road damage and dust problems.

And he said he wants the coalition to come up with a protocol whereby if a road is not passable, it would be closed until it was fixed. He said it would be better to close a road for a couple of days until it could be fixed, "rather than take a chance of someone getting killed or a school bus going off the road."

While township supervisors have the authority to close township routes, they do not have the authority to close state routes, according to McLinko and Grant.

Bradford County Commissioner Mark Smith encouraged Grant to come to the Bradford County Gas Advisory Committee meeting next week to discuss accomplishing his goals, and Grant agreed to do that. The Gas Advisory Committee, which was established by the Bradford County commissioners, has a sub-committee that addresses road damage caused by gas companies and other infrastructure issues.

However, Smith said that the county commissioners are limited in what they can do to solve the road problems, since the county does not own any roads and the commissioners have no authority over roads in the county.

"Maybe we could help facilitate this (resolving the problem)," Smith said.

McLinko said the idea of a coalition was an "excellent idea." McLinko also said township supervisors from around the county and representatives of gas companies should address the issue of road damage at a conference of municipal officials that Sullivan is organizing in the near future. No date has been set yet for the conference.

Reporting bad roads

Also in his news release, Mason said PennDOT is aware of the deterioration that is occurring and is working with the responsible parties to coordinate roadway repairs as fast as possible. If a motorist encounters a sudden and marked change in a state road's condition, please call 1-800 FIX ROAD to report it, he said.

The "responsible parties," Mason explained, are the companies that have taken part in PennDOT's posting and bonding road program, whereby they obtain a permit from PennDOT for their vehicles to travel a road and then post a bond. If the company damages the roads, they are responsible for "facilitating" the repairs through the program, he said.

"The posting and bonding road program is the only avenue that we have to protect the taxpayers' investment in our secondary road system that wasn't built or designed to handle this heavy traffic," he said.

As an example of a road that has been repaired, Mason pointed out that state Route 1001, Clapper Hill Road, in Tuscarora and Stevens townships was reopened to traffic recently after being temporarily closed, except to local traffic, due to severe deterioration. A news release from PennDOT noted that "responsible parties have completed repairs to restore the roadway to a safe and passable condition for the traveling public." This road carries a year-round, 10-ton weight restriction, according to the news release.

Mallory Babcock of Armenia Township said she thought the damage to the roads in western Bradford County was due to a variety of reasons, including traffic from the gas industry and the recent wind turbine project on Armenia Mountain.

"I think the damage we're seeing now is the result of having multiple construction projects going on at the same time, and that would include the gas industry and the wind farm (project).

"Plus, we have frost in the ground, and we still have the gas companies bringing heavy equipment up and down (the mountain). You really can't point the finger at any one group or condition. It's the combination of all it together. That's how I feel about it." She added that Armenia Township's roads were dirt roads to begin with, and, with winter setting in, this put off repairs.

When asked for comment, Matt Riel, general manager with the Armenia Mountain Wind Project, declined to comment for this story.

Gas companies react

Brian Grove, a spokesman for Chesapeake Energy Corp., issued the following statement in response to questions from The Daily Review: "This time of year, with the freeze and thaw cycles, roads are damaged. Natural gas drilling traffic has contributed to the damage. Certainly, we foresaw this when we asked for Road Use and Maintenance Agreements across Bradford and surrounding counties. These agreements were negotiated proactively and we are committed to carrying out our obligations. We are presently and will continue to work with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and local road supervisors to repair damages caused by our activity."

He continued: "Chesapeake has a history of making significant investments in all of our operating areas in road repair and Bradford County will be no different. We will work collaboratively with officials to repair the roads as weather and ground conditions allow, and as our operations evolve and move around the county. We understand the frustration of people driving Bradford County roads, and that's why we have ten road repair crews working in the county right now. That work will continue and as the weather improves, we expect to make significant gains in our repair schedule."

In addition, Grove said Chesapeake also has a meeting scheduled with PennDOT to discuss a strategy concerning long-term repairs to state roads in Bradford County.

Another gas drilling company, East Resources Inc., has "very little" business in Bradford County and mostly operates in Tioga County, according to Stephen Rhoads, director of External Affairs. According to its Web site, the company operates more than 2,500 producing oil and gas wells in New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Colorado and is actively exploring drilling programs in Wyoming. But, when asked for comment, Rhoads was willing to discuss the matter from the gas companies' perspective, noting, "we try to do everything we can to ensure any damage we cause is repaired as quickly as possible."

"Typically, operating companies go into agreements with municipalities and bond their roads and have use agreements to repair as necessary. In many cases, roads are repaired in such a way that they're better than what they were before. There is temporary damage, there is temporary inconvenience; we try to do our best to ensure the damage is kept to a minimum."

"It's very important to us to make sure the roads are accessible and usable. It's in our best interest that we keep them in as best shape as possible. That said, there is occasional damage and we do need to repair it."

Talisman Energy spokesman Mark Scheuerman said, "We work very closely with all the municipalities, we establish road bonds and road use agreements without exception. We take an assessment of the status of the road prior to any use we make of it ... then we return the road to its condition prior to our use."

Road damage in western Bradford County

In western Bradford County, damage is evident on a flat section of Fallbrook Road in Troy Township in several places. Traffic could be seen slowing down as it approached rough sections and driving around them Thursday.

Billy and Babi Tillotson were driving on the road, and they said they were in shock over its condition.

They are moving back to the area after living in Texas for six years. They said they wouldn't live along Fallbrook Road, however, due to its condition.

"I used to be able to do the speed limit on this road, which is 35 mph, and now I'm doing 3 mph and bottoming out," Billy Tillotson said. "If they broke it, they need to fix it."

"We go away for a few years, and 'My Lord,'" Babi Tillotson said.

They were concerned about the road damaging people's cars.

According to Mason, 3.07 miles of Fallbrook is posted, which is the section of the road in Troy Township.

The roads have gotten the attention of local school district officials.

In Canton Area School District, district business manager Mark Jannone said that roads are "pretty bad." However, he added, "I want to see how they are after spring. Some of ours are always bad when the frost starts to heave."

Sue Jackson, transportation director in the Troy Area School District, said bus drivers have expressed their concerns about the road conditions, adding that they're worried about wear and tear on buses.

"There are so many roads in our district that are in so bad shape," she said.

She said that both vans and buses from the district travel Fallbrook Road, and other roads that have her concerned are Madigan Road, Granville Road, and Alba-Windfall Road.

The major concern for her is the safety of the students. She noted that, with rough roads, the bus rides aren't as comfortable, and are bumpier.

"I think when it gets warmer, we may see these roads be worked on. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt, that they will be worked on."

Staff writers Eric Hrin and James Loewenstein contributed to this report.

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32 posted comments

Pickett and Baker are running for office again this year, and no one is running against them, to my knowledge. So I guess the county is not fed up enough to deliver a candidate into the election system.

The word "proactive" is not within the lexicon of any of our political leaders. They are not even able to deal with this catastrophe on a RE-active basis. For all of them it is: the needs of the people be damned. Nothing else matters to them provided wells are being drilled. And "nothing" in this instance includes death and property damage when emergency vehicles are unable to reach residents in distress. It includes our kids who are having difficulty daily reaching their schools. It includes working people who collectively must spend countless hours using alternative routes, if such routes even are available, or pay for damage to their cars. All these things, and so many more, are just fine so long as the drilling is not impacted. Pickett, Baker, Yaw . . all Republicans. They had better steel themselves for a big shock next time they run for office. Because right now there is no cover. Everyone in Bradford County, from bitter personal experience, knows which side these supposed leaders are on. And it certainly is not the side of the people of Bradford County.

First of all these roads were never meant for this kind of traffic to begin with. They need much more sub-base to handle such heavy equipment considering the type of freeze thaw that we get in any given winter. Most of the "roads" that in this area are actually little more than paved over once dirt roads that then got tarred and chipped for years. And the dirt was actually just that dirt. Without the sub-base where is all the water to go. Not only that you have to take into account all the drainage, where is all that to go? To actually build a great road, you almost have to build a highway. Do you want to go through all that? I don't think most people knows just what all that entails, but in the mean time I am sure they could bring in trucks with better sub-base to repair the problem and possibly from companies like Eastern Industries because their products are state approved. All the trucks have to watch where they run on material like that too. They can't just drive in the same spot constantly, but work the base and on occasion they need a grader to keep the road straight. People who have vehicle's who are getting damaged and are seriously going very slow and careful have good reason to be angry and should stop and get out of their car and take a picture of the road condition that very day. I would first contact your insurance company and let them know about the gas company, but I am sure the commissioners would like to see a picture as well. The road conditions are affecting everyone and they aren't safe. Somebody is eventually going to get hurt because of these road conditions, and it isn't really fair to act like these people are doing it out of greed. Some people can't afford to repair new tires, or a new axle at the drop of a hat either. Not everyone is jealous or greedy either.

I live on McNeal Rd and I take the Burlington Turnpike anytime I need to get either to Towanda via Monroeton or to Troy via Burlington because my children go to Troy schools and I sub there....it's my ONLY choice!! My church is also on the Burlington Turnpike. As of Friday when I bottomed out my car on my way back from Sayre (I came the back way to come up through Burlington) I had to call Troy school and CANCEL all of my scheduled subbing jobs because I can no longer make it safely down the Turnpike to Burlington!! It's not worth the damage being done to my car. I can also no longer go to church for services or any of the other functions my children and I might participate in because again....I can't safely get us there!! This is insane! The Burlington Turnpike is a MAJOR road for getting on and off this mountain to get anywhere and I am not basically trapped! I'm getting ready to use my husbands 4wheeler...I know it's illegal to use on roads but these are NOT roads!!

Jack Marson, I don't get your point. Everybody knows it's the water trucks that are causing the damage. Not only are they heavier, there are many more of them than all the other trucks combined, plus they make numerous trips to the same location. Other trucks are at fault also, but the water trucks are the major contributor to the problem.

Mr. McKlinko, thanks for going on record in regard to the Dirt Road Condition of Rt 6 betwwen Troy and Burlington and recognizing the slick condition of the road when it is wet. Hopefully this will now be looked at more closely and action will be taken to resolve this dangerous problem.

I've lived here all my life and every spring is the same thing...roads in need of repair. But yes, let's blame one more thing on the gas companies. They should have to install wings on their equipment in order to not hurt our already-severely-lacking roads. Or I'm sure some brilliant will come up with a different hoop for the gas companies to jump through to appease their own bitter jelousy for not reaping the natural gas benefit. Doesn't repair of roads fall under infrastructure? Use some of Obama's stimulus to fix them...will add jobs to the area as well.

Jack Marson, I'm not sure what you're saying. The water trucks, with their weight and their frequency, are ninety percent responsible for the road damage. Everybody knows this. The drilling rigs, the pipe trucks, the chemical and sand trucks contribute also. But it's the water trucks that are doing the bulk of the damage. The fresh water trucks going in and the waste water trucks going out are the ones destroying the roads. What's your point?

Rt 118 between Pikes Creek and Hughesville is not even close to being safe to drive on,Texas and Oklahoma pickups passing on blind hills,driving over 90 miles per hour,and the heavy truck traffic is bad, the old trucks run after dark, some not legal at all,need DOT to sit there as well as State Police. Stating the facts!

the roads around here have never been good. With the cash that all the gas industry is bringing into the area, we should not be complaining at all. This was a poor area and we wouldve been a ghost town without this happening. Gas companies pay for the permits to drill.Where is that money going. I have not problem with the roads getting torn up.Just fixed the darn things and there will be no more complaints, but when these darn farmers crap up the road with mud and feces no one says anything. Its costing YOU money to clean that off. The ones who complain are the ones who have not benefitted from them being here!!!!

Hard to believe how the folks are blaming everything EXCEPT the Frac Water Drilling related Trucks for the dagamed roads. It is time to tax the drillers for the damage they are causing. The State and it's environmental resoures are being destroyed, while a small handful of people will take their Millions of $$$'s in profits, leave PA for some tropical paradise, and leave us with the toxic mangled mess.

I still think the Daily Review could provide a service to the readers by having a daily corner, like the 'seen around the area', that lists roads currently in bad repair, so people could avoid them and the townships and gas companies would be aware where help is needed. People could add road names and locations via submission to the paper. Readers could give updates so we would know what's being done and what's being neglected. We might as well start this, as it's going to get worse before it gets better.

I'm really not getting why this is such a big deal. The damage to the roads is very small when you compare to all the good the gas companies have done. Bradford County was really a very backward place until the gas companies and the wind power companies came in. Now we finally have a chance to join modern times and people are complaining about a small amount of minor damage to some back roads. Hardly anyone uses those roads anyway. People need to get a life and learn some gratitude.

The roads in Bradford County are ALWAYS bad each spring. The state roads on Ghent Hill are like driving an obstacle course each spring to prevent hitting a huge pothole. Bradford County roads have never been fixed or maintained like they should have been over the years. So why do we expect them to hold up to the additional traffic when they did not hold up before? As far as saying the gas well people act like they own this county and do whatever they please, I have had contact with many gas well people. They are not arrogant like "Tired" claims. In fact, they tell me they can feel the unwelcome attitude of some of the people here. In fact, some people have been downright rude!! How would you feel if your job took you to a different area, and you knew you were not welcome? My experience has been that they are very friendly and courteous. Of course, like anywhere you will have a few bad apples. But I must compliment the gas well companies on weeding out the bad apples and sending them back home.